Try these tips to enhance your home's curb appeal.

Is your yard helping or hurting you and your neighbors in getting top dollar for your house this home buying season?

Most homeowners (79%) say having a healthy, green lawn contributes to the overall value of a home and more than half (53%) think the quality of the homeowner’s lawn can tell you a lot about the quality of the home overall, according to TruGreen’s Lawn Lifestyles National Survey.

According to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® data, 71% of homebuyers think curb appeal is important in choosing their home. And most homeowners purchase a home with a healthy, green lawn (71%) and well-maintained landscaping (72%).

Try these tips to maximize your home’s value by getting your lawn into shape:

Water Right

In spring, check the working condition of sprinkler heads and related water lines to ensure they’re functioning properly. Also, make sure your automated or manual watering method efficiently covers the landscape. You can place a one-inch deep, empty food can in the middle of your lawn to measure depth of water collected each watering cycle.

Don’t over- or under-water your lawn. Give your lawn and landscape a slow, steady watering about once a week, and adjust your watering schedule depending on your area’s rainfall, grass, and soil type.

Complement with Color

Consider your home’s exterior colors when selecting flowering plant combinations for plant beds, window boxes, or front porch planters. With a white house, any color combination will work well. With a yellow house, red or pink blooms tend to complement best.

Dead plants can quickly wilt your home’s walk-up allure. When preparing to plant, ensure proper drainage, nutrients, and moisture for healthy root systems and blooms.

Go Green with Grass

Plant the right type of grass for your lawn to ensure a green, healthy turf. Where your grass has difficulty growing, plant shade-adapted groundcovers for landscape appeal.

Periodically test your soil for pH and basic nutrient content and adjust your fertilizer needs accordingly to maximize your lawn’s health and use of added nutrients and to allow new grass shoots to develop.

Keep your lawn mower tuned, sharpen mower blades twice a summer, and mow your lawn regularly, keeping the grass higher to prevent scalping and to save water. Ditch the lawn mower bag and recycle grass clippings back to the soil for added lawn nutrients.